EU approves Brexit transition deal offer

European Union leaders have approved the terms of the transition deal draft on the condition that it provides a valid solution for the Northern Irish border affair.

The draft text that was agreed by Brexit Secretary David Davis and chief EU negotiator Michel Barnier on Monday was adopted on Friday morning in Brussels leaving a clear path to the next phase of Brexit negotiations.

Prime Minister Theresa May said she believed there was a new spirit of cooperation and opportunity.

“We will now be sitting down and determining those workable solutions for Northern Ireland, but also for our future security partnership and economic partnership," she said.

"I believe it is in the best interest of both the UK and the EU that we get a deal that actually is in the interests of both."

A solution for the Irish question is yet to be found, with the draft agreement having put in place a “backstop” option of Northern Ireland remaining in the customs union to avoid a hard border, which the UK accepted.

Barnier called for a broad political agreement by October 2018, six months ahead of the divorce date on 29 March 2019.